Paypal lost its edge

For over a decade Paypal has been my preferred means of online payment. It’s reliable, swift, offers good support and any kind of dispute is solved without a hitch. They had really earned my trust, but a recent practical problem has made me wonder if Paypal has realized that times have changed. They are not suited for international travelers at all, which is extremely peculiar for an online payment system in the 21st century. Let me tell you why.

Every year, I spend about 3 months in Thailand. This year I had decided to buy something in an online store … why not? My chosen store offered my trusty Paypal as a means of payment, so I felt secure.

The store’s ordering process went smoothly, I selected Paypal, was redirected to the Paypal login page … and nothing. Whatever I tried, Paypal would not allow me to login, stating a problem with my login/password. Did I recently change my password? I did not think so, and kept trying all possible combinations. I decided to request a new password. Without success, the email did not arrive.

Paypal offers the option of paying without logging in. Let’s give that a try, I did bring my bank’s identification thingamajig. I got into a loop, returning to the initial page every time. No explanation, no error message, nothing.

Over to the Paypal website, hoping to find a support email address or support form to be filled in. Not possible without logging in. No local telephone support line, skype address, or chat function to be found.

Over to the Paypal Facebook account it was. After a while, a friendly lady called Rosie responded.

So it is likely (not sure, mind you) that Paypal does not work when you are abroad, and attempts from outside your country of residence alarm their security system. Let’s just hope they haven’t cancelled my credit card!

To resolve my problem, I need to create a new Thai account.

Common’ Paypal, this is not acceptable in 2016. The Visa card that is linked to my Paypal account works just fine in Thailand. Add additional identification measures and security options, like any other international website that accepts credit cards, but do not rule out foreign use. That’s part of the reason for your existence.